Essay Example on Patient Satisfaction & Quality Healthcare Services: A Necessity

Patient satisfaction and quality of medical care services are crucial elements while providing health services. The quality of healthcare services is dependent on the interactions between the service providers and the patients. Thus, quality healthcare is defined as the consistent provision of efficient, effective, and efficacious healthcare services that meet the current clinical standards and guidelines to address the needs of patients (Mosadeghrad, 2014). It also includes characteristics such as reliability, confidentiality, availability, privacy, equity, comprehensiveness, and amenities or facilities (Mosadeghrad, 2014). The quality of medical services can be determined by patient satisfaction, which is an indicator of the efficiency and quality of medical services. However, the quality of health care services is influenced by several factors.

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The socio-demographic variables of patients influence the interaction between the medical experts and patients, which consequently impacts the quality of services offered. Thus, it is vital for medical care professionals to understand the socio-demographic characteristics of their patients (Batbaatar et al., 2017). For instance, some patients believe that they cannot recover without taking medicines even when suffering from diseases, such a cold, which just requires supportive care.

Low medical tariffs and lack of reliable referral systems are the main reason why doctors fulfill some irrational requests from patients (Mosadeghrad, 2014). The low tariffs make it easy for patients to seek services from other facilities. Furthermore, the personality of medical service providers can have an impact on the quality of services they deliver. Their personal problems and attitudes can affect their behavior and result in poor-quality services.

The leadership and management of hospitals also impact the quality of services provided to patients. Lack of professional managers in the medical facilities may result in negligence among the staff because there is no one to monitor their activities. Qualified and experienced healthcare managers use their power to identify and recruit the most appropriate healthcare workers who can offer high-quality services (Mosadeghrad, 2014). The managers also evaluate and assess the type of services provided to the patients to ensure they meet the clinical guidelines and standards. They should also have proper leadership skills that will help them to set a clear direction for health organizations as they work towards achieving high-quality services for all.

The level of education, knowledge, and skills of the professionals is a major determinant of the quality of services the patients receive. The professionals should improve their knowledge and skills to provide high-quality services to patients (Mosadeghrad, 2014). They can enroll in short-courses that will help them to upgrade their skills. Hospitals can offer additional training to the professionals so that they can meet the needs of the patients. Moreover, the quality of patient education will also affect the quality of services they receive (Widayati, Tamtomo, & Adriani, 2018). Patients who are educated have higher and realistic expectations for high-quality medical services.

Patient co-operation is essential while providing medical care, and it affects the quality of healthcare services the patients receive. The willingness of the patients to offer information about their illness and co-operate with the clinicians affects the clinical outcomes (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Lack of patient co-operation may frustrate medical professionals and cause them to offer poor-quality services. Uncooperative patients may fail to follow the instructions given to them, and this may endanger their lives. Co-operative patients make it easier for medical practitioners to treat them, and they consequently receive high-quality services. Therefore, the provision of medical care services requires the collaboration of patients and medical practitioners.

The motivation and satisfaction of service providers is an essential factor in ensuring the delivery of high-quality medical care services to patients. The satisfaction and motivation of the practitioners are influenced by several factors, such as the working environment, wages, and job security (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Most medical professionals require a working environment that is peaceful and supportive. Supportive environments motivate medical practitioners to come up with strategies that will improve the quality of services offered. Poor payments result in professionals working in more than one hospital to meet their expenses (Batbaatar et al., 2017). Subsequently, this can be tiring, and it reduces the quality of services the patients receive.

The availability of resources and facilities also influences the quality of medical care offered. For professionals to offer high-quality services, they should be provided with high-quality and reliable inputs. Using low-quality facilities or equipment decreases the productivity of the professionals and the quality of services they offer. It takes more time to complete tasks using old equipment compared to new or current equipment (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Additionally, inadequate resources result in increased employee stress, which consequently affects the quality of services they provide. Financial resources are the most crucial factors that affect the quality of services offered in healthcare centers (Mosadeghrad, 2014).

The level of income is another factor that influences the quality of healthcare a patient receives. The higher the income a patient earns, the higher the chances of them receiving high-quality care (Widayati, Tamtomo, & Adriani, 2018). However, people with low incomes may find it difficult to access high-quality medical services. Therefore, the socio-economic status of a person has an impact on the quality of medical services they receive (Batbaatar et al., 2017).

The type or severity of the illness also influences the quality of medical care a patient receives. The type of illness and its severity may cause stress on the medical personnel, which may consequently have an impact on the overall quality of services offered (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Professionals who are treating cancer patients are likely to offer low-quality services due to compassion fatigue and burnout.

Collaboration and teamwork affect the quality of services a patient is likely to receive. Practitioners need to support one another so that they can deliver high-quality services to patients. Every healthcare worker should be responsible and accountable for their actions to ensure the safety of the patients (Batbaatar et al., 2017). Co-operation and teamwork are important in providing high-quality services as it helps them to rectify each other and avoid medical errors. The hospitals should also collaborate with insurance companies to ensure the patients can access quality services using their insurance (Mosadeghrad, 2014).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the quality of healthcare services is essential while delivering medical care to patients. Patient satisfaction is used to determine the quality of services that medical professionals provide. Quality healthcare has particular characteristics like availability, confidentiality, accessibility, and equity. However, the quality of healthcare services is determined by several factors; the level of education, knowledge, and skills, the socio-demographic variables of patients, the leadership and management of hospitals, the resources and amenities used, and patient co-operation. Therefore, patients and medical professionals should co-operate to ensure high-quality medical services are offered.

References

Batbaatar, E., Dorjdagva, J., Luvsannyam, A., Savino, M. M., & Amenta, P. (2017). Determinants of patient satisfaction: a systematic review. Perspectives in public health, 137(2), 89-101. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1757913916634136

Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International journal of health policy and management, 3(2), 77. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4122083/

Widayati, M. Y., Tamtomo, D., & Adriani, R. B. (2018). Factors affecting quality of health service and patient satisfaction in community health centers in North Lampung, Sumatera. Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2(2), 165-175. http://thejhpm.com/index.php?journal=thejhpm&page=article&op=view&path[]=42